A Bexar County Sheriff's Office deputy resigned this week after being arrested on a warrant accusing her of tampering with a government record, in a case tied to conduct that allegedly happened in Laredo before she ever joined the department. Anabell Rivera, who had worked for BCSO for about two years, was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon while off duty, according to the sheriff's office.
The warrant, issued August 31, charged Rivera with tampering with a government record, according to BCSO. As reported by KENS 5, the sheriff's office released no additional details about the underlying allegations. Rivera resigned following her arrest, and BCSO accepted her resignation in lieu of termination, a move that severs employment immediately and waives formal civil service dismissal appeals.
Laredo Police, Not BCSO, Lead the Criminal Case
The alleged conduct occurred in Laredo before Rivera joined the Bexar County Sheriff's Office, and the Laredo Police Department — not BCSO — is leading the criminal investigation, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Laredo sits roughly 150 miles south of San Antonio in Webb County, and the Express-News notes BCSO's role was limited to assisting with the warrant. Rivera had been employed by the sheriff's office for about two years, meaning she was hired around 2024, after the alleged Laredo tampering had already taken place.
Texas Penal Code Section 37.10 covers tampering with a governmental record, and the charge can range from a Class A misdemeanor — punishable by up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine — up to a second-degree felony carrying 2 to 20 years in prison, depending on intent to defraud or harm and the type of record involved, per the L&L Law Group. It is not yet clear which grade of charge prosecutors will ultimately pursue against Rivera.
A Second Deputy Resigned the Same Day
Rivera's resignation landed on the same day that another off-duty BCSO deputy, Johanna Villanueva, also resigned in lieu of termination. The station's report indicates Villanueva was taken into custody on a family violence assault charge stemming from an August 30 incident investigated by the department's Public Integrity Unit — a case Hoodline covered separately in a report on Villanueva's exit. Together, the two departures marked the second resignation of a BCSO deputy following an off-duty arrest within a two-day span.
When an officer resigns while under investigation or following a criminal arrest in Texas, the agency must report the separation details to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, according to Texas Scorecard, which maintains state licensing records that can affect a deputy's peace officer status going forward.
Part of a Broader Pattern at the Sheriff's Office
Rivera's arrest follows a string of off-duty arrests involving BCSO personnel this year, including Sergeant Veronica Sanchez on a March DWI charge and probationary deputy Adrian Zayas on an April drug warrant, both previously reported by Hoodline. Sheriff Javier Salazar has maintained a public stance against deputy misconduct throughout these cases.
Salazar's office has also shown it will not necessarily reverse a termination even if a criminal case falls apart later. Former probationary deputy Miguel Angel Rodriguez was fired in late 2025 over allegations he took money to bring outside food to an inmate, and Salazar refused to reinstate him even after those criminal charges were dismissed in November 2025, according to KENS 5. Separately, Bexar County prosecutors formally dismissed official oppression charges in July 2026 against former BCSO jailer Jorge Alejandro Rocha, who had resigned prior to termination in 2025, citing insufficient evidence after an extensive review, the Express-News reported.
Those earlier cases suggest that regardless of how Rivera's Laredo case unfolds in court, her separation from the Bexar County Sheriff's Office is likely to stand. It remains unclear what specific record Rivera is accused of tampering with or what charge grade prosecutors will file.
